There You Are
by chalantness
Summary: Maybe he's thinking a lot of things right now, but they all have to do with her and he's pretty sure that that's supposed to mean something. (Post 2x10 "Before the Dawn")


**Title: **_There You Are (Right When I Need You Most)  
_**Rating:** PG  
**Word Count:** 1,200+  
**Characters:** Tim/Stephanie  
**Summary:** Maybe he's thinking a lot of things right now, but they all have to do with her and he's pretty sure that that's supposed to mean something. (Post 2x10 "Before the Dawn")

**Note:** I'm sorry for the shitty ending. This ficlet hates me.

**There You Are (Right When I Need You Most)  
**

He doesn't see himself as a professional (because he doesn't see what they do as a real _profession_).

But he likes to think that he acts professionally—calm under pressure, always calculating, adjusting for the bumps in the road that are sure to come because everyone knows that a plan of action never survives contact with the enemy. He was trained well and by the best. And that's not just Bruce, but Dick and Barbara, too. They started even younger than him and maybe this is a biased opinion, but he thinks they're the best on the Team. They're dangerous and really _good_ at what they do, and there's something oddly calming about that.

Anyway, he doesn't usually find himself getting distracted while they're working, especially when it comes to something with high stakes. And rescuing their friends—over _half their Team_—from Manta and an unknown fate is as high stakes as it gets right now.

But when he first sees her, he can't help but think that…

Well, he forgets to think about anything other than the fact that she's kind of really _beautiful_. And that he hates seeing her scared. And that seeing her being shoved into a pod made him feel a little (a lot) pissed off. And that her eyes are a really pretty shade of blue.

(Okay, maybe he's thinking a lot of things right now, but they all have to do with her and he's pretty sure that that's supposed to mean something.)

"Hey."

He turns to see her standing there. Her blonde hair is a little tangled and her clothes are a bit disheveled, but she still looks beautiful—even more so like this. It looks natural for her, and the fear he saw earlier when they were being loaded is gone from her eyes, replaced by a sparkle that he, somehow, recognizes.

"Hi," he replies, turning to face her completely. "Are you alright?"

"Are _you?_ I mean, I was already on the… the _ship_, but I could hear what was happening on the other side, and…"

She trails off, frowning at him in concern.

He blinks in surprise from behind his shades. After what's happened to her tonight, and imagining (he's sure she did; he's sure they _all_ did) what would happen if they couldn't escape, she's worried about _him?_

"Yes, I… I'm fine," he answers.

She's smiling again. "Good," she says.

He feels a smile tug at his lips. "Are you alright?" he asks again. Her eyes widen a bit and, again, he doesn't see any fear in them. They look kind of _thrilled_, actually, and when she replies, "I'm fine," it comes out sort of breathless, almost as if she's expecting more. It's kind of impossible not to feel how _alive_ she is right now. "Are you sure?"

It slips out in a chuckle, and the look she gives him is amused rather than offended.

Then she turns her head to look out the window. The bright skyline blurs together in a mess of lights and color as the ships flies by them. This isn't the first time he's seen something like this outside the window before, but it's the first time he realizes how beautiful it is. She takes a few steps until she's nearly pressed against the glass, leaning forward as if she's about to jump out. And as he comes to stand next to her, watching the lights flash across her face, somehow he just knows that the thought wouldn't scare her at all.

"Robin."

Barbara walks over to him and places a hand on his shoulder. "We're escorting the kids home as soon as we land," she tells him, and then glances at the girl. "Where do—"

"I'll take care of her," he interrupts.

The girl smiles at him gratefully and Barbara arches an eyebrow, the faintest traces of a smirk at the corner of her lips. She reminds him so much of Dick when she does that. "Alright," she says, but her tone says _we'll be discussing this later_. "We'll be landing in a few minutes."

"Understood," he says.

Then Barbara turns to the girl. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she replies.

And to his surprise, Barbara smiles at her. Well, Barbara smiling isn't the surprise, but the girl smiles, too, and he realizes why that sparkle in her eye seemed so familiar. It's because Barbara gets that same look on her face when she's Batgirl. She loves the thrill and the adventure and the challenge, and he can tell that this girl must love it, too. Or at least she would if she were given the chance. And somehow it's not that hard to picture her like Barbara, gliding through the skies with her infectious laughter trailing behind her in the night.

She'd be good, he can tell. With the training he and Dick and Barbara received, she'd be _great_.

But then he pictures her with a cowl on her face and a bat across her chest and he wants to feel guilty. He wants to. He doesn't hate his life. He has Bruce and Barbara and Dick and the Team and, okay, he likes being Robin. He likes the challenge, too. But he knows the risks of this life and to wish that on her?

It's _wrong_.

Still… he bets that she'd make an amazing hero, and not just because she loves the adventure. He's had all of one conversation with her and he can already tell how compassionate she is.

"I'm glad to hear that," Barbara tells her, placing a hand on her arm. "You were great today."

"Me?" she asks, surprised. "I didn't do anything. I just—"

"I saw you helping the other kids," Barbara interrupts. "You really calmed a few of them. We're grateful for that."

"Oh," she says, and it's impossible not to hear how _happy_ she sounds. "You're welcome."

"What's your name?" Barbara asks.

She bites her lip, but he says, "Stephanie," and she looks at him, eyes widening in surprise. But he didn't even need that as confirmation, because he knows who her father is. He's seen her before in Gotham before, only once, but he knows it's her. She took his breath away then, too. And honestly, he's a little mad at himself that he didn't recognize her before.

"Stephanie," Barbara echoes, looking at Tim this time. He nods. "I'll probably see you later, then."

And with that, she starts walking towards Dick. Tim wants to shake his head. Leave it to Barbara to make unnecessarily dramatic exits.

"She's…" Stephanie begins.

"Scary?"

Stephanie laughs. "I was going to say that she's kind of awesome." He grins, shakes his head. Somehow he's not surprised. "So what's your name?"

"Robin."

She gives him a look. "What's your _real_ name?"

He smiles and shakes his head. "It doesn't work that way."

"You can't blame a girl for trying," she says with a shrug, and he grins because he has a feeling she says that a lot. Or that she's about to, and he'll be around to hear it. "So, I guess you'll have to take me back to Gotham?" she asks, and no, he doesn't miss the disappointment in her voice.

"Eventually," he says, "But we have to bring everyone else home first."

She _beams_ at him.

He laughs. He's probably going to regret this, but… "Did you want to tag along?"

"I thought you'd never ask."


End file.
